Millennium Mambo

Great cinematography, the absolutely stunning Shu Qi and an entrancing techno soundtrack. Unfortunately the characters are uninteresting, the plot goes nowhere, and far too often we're stuck watching Shu Qi smoke a cigarette for 3-4 minutes. There's precious little insight to be revealed. Beautiful to watch, but the gentle melancholy usually turns quickly to boredom. The Japan scenes were the highlights.

Boring, pretty people doing boring, pretty things is never interesting, no matter what side of the world they may live on. *smokes cigarette* *looks off into the distance* *smokes cigarette* *argues with boyfriend* *smokes cigarette*

It's not that it's a bad film, but the characters are so uninteresting and so unlikable that it's hard to care. Normally I never use "unlikable characters" as a valid argument against any film, but I think it works with this film. Why should I care about watching vapid, one-dimensional characters do drugs and stare at each other in their respective blank and vapid ways? At least the cinematography was good.

I love this, but I know it's not perfect. As most people will tell you, the opening scene is mesmerizing. The movie captures the feeling of being restless and lost, but kind of on the right track; the tone is sad but strangely optimistic. I think it very much corresponds to how its fans (including me) view life.

The first shot of Vicky, walking on a covered overpass, sets the tone both visually and thematically. Hou's beautiful extended takes and the camera's tendency to wanderingly find Vicky define the film's visual style. Thematically, the presence of Vicky's "ten years on" voice over narration serves to distance her now from who she was then. This distance carries with it a kind of hope, that she'll not always be caught in the vicious cycles portrayed here.

Not just another gorgeously filmed Asian film about generational alienation and ennui, Millennium Mambo -- chronologically aloof, rooted entirely in hindsight, adhering to a casual cyclicality that recalls the turning of memory -- highlights the tragic ephemerality of youth and the inexorable onset of regret.

Beautiful scenes and even more beautiful actors, but so boring that nobody should give a shit.

Any plot summary is a joke; characters walk around in a drug haze and very little happens. A movie a loaded cinematographer might make if the script were lost and the director died. If a movie were made that showed people's reactions while being forced to watch this movie (I'm picturing rolling of eyes, checking of the time, etc., escalating into breaking of furniture and vows of revenge), it would be far more entertaining than the movie itself. Not worth it even for Shu Qi.

It's interesting watching this film in 2010 (roughly close to when the narration takes place) recounting a period in someone's life in 2001. The story is a bit lean but focuses on the regrets of wasted youth. People in their 30's-40's can easily identify with this sort of self reflection as it explores melancholic recollection upon reaching actual maturity.The mesmerizing urban environments and almost mournful techno soundtrack sets the perfect film ambience.

Has a deliberately slow pace, which serves a purpose for the story. Not entertaining, but very beautiful to watch.

"The film is an ethereal, opiate-induced chronicle of a young girl (a flower of Shanghai if you will) whose life is preciously unexamined." - Ed Gonzalez

Viewed September 26, 2016. Hou's consideration of temporality, the way his long takes and roving camera emphasize the agonizing passing of every second, trapping the spectator into tense situations in small rooms, creates this suspended and hypnotic memory-land that feels hazy and faded around the edges. Isolation is palpable, even when we are together we find ourselves alone. A prescient portrait of an incoming crisis of disconnect, and a powerful meditation on the malleable nature of love.

6?Ivan /???????

Smoking waiting for someone to do something or say something. Neither ever happens. Tedious viewing. Score mostly for the prettiness.

Millennium Mambo estreava há 20 anos em Taiwan. Sei que este é considerado uma obra-prima da virada do milênio, mas não consegui me conectar com ele, mesmo Hsiao-Hsien Hou retratando justamente a minha geração ou talvez por isso mesmo, acho que o que mais contribuiu para esse afastamento é a visualização do mundo clubber, coisa que dificulta a transposição de universalidade. DVDRip no MakingOff.

Hsiao-Hsien Hou is just not for me, I think. I can recognize that he has a certain amount of skill and craftsmanship, but his movies just bore me to tears. None of his characters ever seem to grip me. I have great admiration for when a director can use silence well, but I feel he overdoes it. I'd say it's similar to some of his other work in feel, so if you've seen anything by him and liked it, this is worth watching, but if not, recommendation to skip.

Gorgeous and irritating in equal measure. I might have loved it if not for the terrible musical score

It comes together slowly. And then the snow falls in Yubari.

Basically 2 hours of nothing happening except for the actors smoking a lot. It's got style, I guess, and it looks great, but that's about it. Felt like a worse, more boring version of "Fallen Angels".

It's really pretty and sets a nice mood from time to time, but some of the scenes feel empty and the voice-over is entirely unnecessary.

Star Rating: ★★

It's as pretty as I've come to expect from Chinese cinema but somehow lacking in a human core which fails to consistently involve me in its' tender attempt at a character study.

One of those movies where the filmmaking technique is reflective of its thematic content. Unfortunately I wasn't really taken by it, mostly because I found its lingering shots and pervasive sense of melancholy unsuccessful, though it has its moments. Definitely more of a slow dance than a mambo.

Incredible intro and interesting allegory for the story

Slow, aimless, and not much happens. That's the exact point the film makes about that transitional period before adulthood. I appreciate what the film does, but it gets pretty dry after an hour. The opening and closing scenes are fantastic, so I was left with a positive impression.

Shu Qi is a wonderfully intelligent actress. This movie, mainly a showcase for its star, is feather light but enjoyable.